For many, enteral tube feeding is a necessary last resort for meeting basic nutritional needs. It is a common practice for those requiring home tube feeding via a gastrostomy tube, or G-Tube, to depend on a feeding procedure carried out by a caregiver, with four to seven feeding sessions a day. This practice is referred to as bolus feeding. There are two common delivery methods for bolus delivery: gravity gavage and syringe depression (“push-method”). Both of these methods currently use identical medical equipment and suffer from numerous disadvantages. The experience of assisted G-Tube feeding involves a cumbersome, often messy technique of pouring a fluid bolus into a syringe and channeling the bolus/fluid into a tube that is connected to the patient using standardized connective components. Both methods typically use limited capacity 60 ml irrigation syringes (2 oz.). The current syringes need to be refilled 5-6 times during a feeding session in order to deliver the requisite bolus volume, with even more refills for the greater caloric needs of adults. The current G-Tube feeding experience is often very demanding for the caregiver due to a poor ergonomic configuration. In particular, the caregiver commonly suffers joint injury (e.g., carpometacarpal or ulnocarpal joint injury) from the repeated motion of holding the syringe while manipulating the plunger. The current process lacks the necessary flexibility, control, and ergonomics necessary to prevent repetitive stress injuries.
The problem of food spillage during syringe filling is a common and unpleasant aspect of the feeding process. Moreover, the repeated twisting or kinking of the G-Tube can impede bolus flow, damage equipment or cause disengagement of the G-Tube from the syringe or the patient. Importantly, the patient currently suffers the consequences of poor movement stabilization at the G-Tube connection site because they feel every movement from the caregiver as they try to remain stationary. This unavoidable movement often leads to skin irritation and early G-Tube failures. In short, current methods generally require cumbersome manipulation, cause joint injury, and are prone to messy accidents that diminish the quality of life for both the patient and caregiver. There is a need in the art for an alternative method of enteral tube feeding, one that is more convenient, controlled, and reduces the number of requisite devices and steps for feeding.